I live in a condo and recently heard a neighbor comment she has black mold in her room, i later was looking for something in my closet and found the walls had black mold on them. And it was on some of my formal dresses. I tried to clean it with bleach, and it removed a lot of it, but not all of it. Whats the best way to deal with this issue… i have heard everything from cutting the drywall out or using a product called KILZ will that work? Is it dangerous to my health? how so? can i dry clean the dresses or are they just garbage?

Kilz works on mold stains, but doesn’t do anything to the mold. In fact, the oil based kilz is actually food for the mold. The mold has to have a water source that must be stopped before the mold can be removed for good. After that clean the mold off with a good cleanser and use a bleach mixed with a mildewcide. Bleach alone will not kill mold, it just makes it white for a while. The sheetrock will probably need replacing, but only as a last resort as the back side of the sheetrock is probably covered. If the moisture source is removed there’s a chance the mold will die. I’m not sure how to clean your dresses. Sorry. Good luck

If you have wet walls, you’ll surely get mold. Wallboard, drywall, plywood, paper and cardboard give mold a perfect place to grow. The material made in the construction of your walls is porous, so it offers the mold a great place to live.

Stachybotrys chartarum, an infamous type of toxic black mold that has a slightly greenish-black color, is often found in wet walls. Unlike your shower mold, which is non-toxic, this mold grows often in building materials.

If you have wet walls in your house, you should remove the material immediately and make sure the black mold doesn’t come back.

Getting Rid Of The Moldy Walls

One huge mistake people often make is trying to paint over the water damaged spots on their walls. This won’t do anything! In face, mold can grow really well on paint.

What you have to do is take off the wet portions of the wall. Remove all the wet wall as quickly as possible, before mold has a chance to grow. Before you take it off, spray it with water from a spray bottle. All the porous wall material should be wet when you remove it, so that you won’t be spreading mold spores everywhere.

Wear protective clothes, make sure the area has plenty of circulation and dispose of the moldy wall material safely. Put all the moldy stuff in plastic bags for safe removal. It’s important to not let the mold spores contaminate the rest of the house.

Look closely at the dry parts to see if there’s mold hiding out behind it. You can just take off a small piece of the wall near the moldy area and check. In areas where the walls are wet, there is a good chance that the adjacent dry walls will also have mold growing.

After the wet walls have been removed, spray the walls with a bleach solution. Be careful with the bleach. Mixing it with any other cleaning products can cause toxic fumes. You should only use water in your bleach solution. Make it weak; no more than 1 part bleach to 1 part water. Bleach can irritate your nose, eyes and ears. For more info see http://www.toxicblackmoldhelp.org/removing/removing_Black_Mold_On_Shirts.html

Use a scrub brush for the wall and make sure you get rid of all the mold. If some of the muck runs down to the floor, clean it up with a vacuum.

If possible, dispose of everything that has been in contact with mold. This includes drop clothes, but also the clothes that you were wearing. If you don’t want to get rid of your clothes, wash them well in hot water and bleach.

Keeping The Mold Out Of Your Walls

Before you install any new stuff, make sure the wall has dried out completely. You can run a dehumidifier in your basement or wherever the wet walls were to speed up the process. Just make sure it’s totally dry before you begin construction again.

When building again, there are a few materials that will help keep mold away, depending on what you plan on putting there. A concrete backer board might be helpful to keep the wall dry. If you want to use tile, put up a 1/2 inch concrete backer board. If you want to put a surround, get a green board rock. You can find concrete backer board and green board rocks at your local home supply or hardware store.

The most important thing you can do to keep mold from growing again is to keep the room dry and well-ventilated. Remember that mold likes wet, dark places and grows well on porous material. After you’ve cleaned up and put in new walls, check from time to time to make sure the mold hasn’t come back.

Amanda Fain
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/how-to-repair-black-mold-on-wet-walls-132456.html

I had a little surprise when I came home from work Friday night and found water coming from under my kitchen cabinets after it had rained really hard. Turns out water has been leaking around my improperly sealed plumbing vent on the roof, and water has been accumulating behind my cabinets. = BLACK MOLD! It was less than 10 sq/ft. The hubby and I wore proper respiration, eye and hand protection to remove it. We also had the rest of the house sealed off and the windows open during removal. Now I have an irritated throat and my nose is stuffy. I have 2 HEPA air purifiers and a dehumidifier going full blast.

Basically, I’m just wondering if I go see my doctor tomorrow, can he do anything for me other than to tell me to take a benadryl? I’m afraid of this sickness getting worse if I don’t treat it. I can’t miss work due to layoffs.

a stuffy nose is caused by bacteria build (from the mold) up in your sinus creating mucus and blocking your air passages. the best way is to rinse out your nose with a betti neti pot. its a very simple process with NO side effects besides breathing clearly haha.
dont use plastic ones though because the chemicals in the plastic eventually break down and cause more problems. go with ceramic made netis. i have a betti pot and it works wonders. feel better!

Dr. Elizabeth Vaughan

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we bought our first house 2 yrs ago, and recently we have started doing some work on it, fixing the bathrooms, etc. and we have found that EVERY room in our home has black mold on it. it is a 1987 doublewide. does anyone have any advise on what to do about this? mold removal products wont work, there is just too much mold. and its just too much sheetrock to replace. and ideas??
the mold is on the INSIDE of the sheetrock, not the outside, so there is no way we can spray it with bleach/water. i have tried it once before and it didnt do any good.
i guess im not explaining myself right? we dont see the black mold until we cut into the sheetrock. its on the inside of the walls not the side you paint

A few points; first you definitely want to have the house inspected by an environmental consultant who deals with or specialized in mold sampling and remediation. The consultant should take some tape life samples for spore culture and bulk samples and the consultant should take a spore trap sample in the rooms to verify level and type of spores in the rooms. You can find a list of local environmental consultants in http://iaqa.org. If the mold is toxic mold then you will have to have it taken care of.

Using a bleach and other chemicals even diluted is actually Not what you should use when dealing with mold. To find out more information on why not to use bleach or chemicals to remove mold check out this link:

http://www.moldrx4u.com/Poisons.asp

Also I would not recommend contacting the EPA. If you do and there is toxic mold (Stachybotrys chartarum) depending on the level the EPA would actually evict you from your home and if the levels were bad enough they could burn the home down with everything in it including all of your cloths and any vehicles you have. They have done this in the past.

In the site listed above: http://moldrx4u.com Dr. Close Ph.D, P.E. has discovered a new anti-fungal agent that kills mold in the air and on surfaces and has found it very effective in the remediation of mold. There is a lot of information on this site about toxic mold and what you can do about it.

Anyone have any experience removing mold from a coquina house? It is black mold and is very prevalent where there is water run off.
Are there environmental concerns with bleach? Kill plants, etc.

60% bleach 40% water…

So, you have a black mold problem. You’ve checked and there it is. Your home is moldy and you need to get rid of it as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Small Jobs

If you have a little black mold growing somewhere, like the tiles or your bathroom or kitchen cabinets, removal is not such a headache.

Use a solution of bleach and water and scrub. Use only a little bleach, and don’t mix it with anything but water. Bleach is dangerous; it can damage things easily and irritate your eyes and nose. Use it with caution.

A regular hand scrub works best. Get in there and scrub until you see that mold disappear.

You can also disinfect hard surfaces that have been affected by mold by covering with your bleach solution and letting it sit for a while. If you do this, it will help keep the mold from coming back. Make sure to open windows and make sure there’s plenty of ventilation. The fumes are dangerous.

If you have books or other things that are infected with mold, there’s not much you can do. Before throwing them away, seal them up well with plastic. Make sure the mold doesn’t get out and have a chance to get into something else. For more info see http://www.toxicblackmoldhelp.org/species/black_Mold_Species.html

Big Jobs

For a big mold removal job, for example when you have large areas of water damage in your house, stronger precautions must be taken.

You will need to remove the moldy material from the house. In this case, lay out plastic all around the effected area as if you were going to paint. You don’t want those mold spores getting all over the place. Wear old clothes, a face mask and good gloves.

If you’re removing material such as wall material or other porous stuff, spray it first with water from a little spray bottle. If it’s dry when you remove it, it’s more likely to kick up spores and dust particles.

When you remove the mold infested material, put it into heavy plastic bags. It’s always a good idea to double bag. Take the bags out of the house through the nearest door or window. You don’t want to drag the plastic bags all over the house and risk contaminating other areas. When you’re finished, take the bags straight to the landfill.

During your cleanup, make sure everybody is out of the house. There may be mold spores in the air. As you work, take short breaks every so often. You may not feel it, but you will be exposing yourself to mold for an extended period of time.

Even Bigger Jobs

If it’s a serious construction project, have a professional do it. Also, if you suffer from severe mold allergies or asthma, it’s better to let somebody else do the work. It’s just not worth it to endanger your health.

We’re Not Done Yet

We’re almost finished, but there’s one more thing you have to consider. You have to locate the source of the mold growth and prevent it from growing there again. Look for leaking pipes or other sources of unwanted water.

Keep the room dry and well ventilated, and check periodically in the effected areas to see if it has come back for its revenge.

Amanda Fain
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/instructions-for-removing-black-mold-129800.html

I know of a family in VA that needs potentially toxic black mold to be removed from their home before it spreads; however, they are a low income family in a hollar and would never be able to afford the costs. Are there any organizations that would help fund the removal. Repairs/Replacement of effected areas would not have to be included.

I haven’t heard of any organizations that provide help for low income people needing help with mold remediation. Actually I have heard of the EPA going in and telling people that they have to leave everything including their car, with no reimbursement for lost property. Home owners insurance sometimes covers mold but you would have to check with your insurance agent.

If you are looking for a much more cost effective way to remove the mold then I would recommend going to this site:

http://www.moldrx4u.com

In there Dr. Close has found an anti-fungal agent that kills mold in the air and on surfaces. It is non-toxic and can be used in the house while you are still in it. It is very cost effective, and can keep you from having to go through some of the more costly expenses of mold removal, such as materials disposal.

Also if they have to have the materials removed or decide they would just feel more comfortable having the materials removed then if they use his anti-fungal agent they wouldn’t have to worry about the spores remaining in the house even after the materials are removed.

Black Mold Exposure follows Michael Roland Williams, filmmaker, and Karen Noseff, founder and designer of Fortune Denim, struggling to regain their livelihood and well-being after they were unknowingly exposed to high levels of various molds that had infested Karens apartment.

A growing number of people from all ages and walks of life claim mold made them ill while physicians, lawmakers, and medical associations dispute the validity of these claims. Most of the symptoms of those claiming illness from mold can be caused by, and diagnosed as, any number of other illnesses. There are no standardized methods to measure what molds, at what exposure levels, over what period of time, might cause any given person to become ill.

BLACK MOLD EXPOSURE explores the bizarre illnesses associated with exposure to toxic mold and the film participants difficult task of regaining their health and lives in an atmosphere of political and social intolerance and disbelief.

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What is the best process for black mould removal and removing black mould or options when it comes to hiring a company to remove it.

Its all about treating the cause of the black mould, usually this is a bit hard when you’re not 100% sure what that is.

http://www.killmould.co.uk/ have a good removal guide and offer services to treat and sort the problem if you can’t do it yourself